Students at Chesterfield College took part in an event that aimed to provide careers inspiration for creative roles.
Artists who have created works as part of the Animate Chesterfield programme led the event by talking about their careers and work in Chesterfield before answering questions from the students.
All the students who took part are currently studying art and design. The event aimed to show them the types of careers available once they complete their studies and let them discover how others have built their artistic careers.
The speakers included Lucie Maycock who was Chesterfield’s first artist in residence, Coralie Turpin who is creating a new sculpture for Staveley town centre, Megan Russell (Peachzz) who is creating a mural in Chesterfield town centre, Sally Anderson who created a window trail last Christmas and is working on the same project this year and Denis O’Connor from Sculpture Works who are leading the creative installations for A Sense of Chesterfield, a new heritage arts trail.
Sally Anderson said: “I think it’s important to share it back, I started out here at Chesterfield College, and it’s good to come back and talk about what we’ve worked on and how we’ve built our practices. I think we develop a lot of creatives in Chesterfield and it’s good to come back and show that it’s not always plain sailing, but it is a process and a journey that they could achieve too and hopefully that is really inspiring for them.”
The session also formed part of Chesterfield College’s Creative Industries careers week.
Georgie Long, Curriculum Manager for Creative Industries at Chesterfield College Group adds, “These fabulous talks added so much to an already rich week-long programme of Creative Industries guest lectures and workshops by artists, performers and freelancers across a wide range of creative practice. We had over 140 of our creative students attending this talk alone, and they were given a real insight into the day-to-day lives of a practicing artist.
“It’s wonderful to see our students making so many notes in these lectures and asking such intelligent questions. We’re here to help our students not just with skills, advice and direction but also to prepare them for a creative career after their studies, how to pitch for commissions, meet with clients and manage workloads for example. Hearing from these artists has provided them with invaluable advice and insight to help guide their future success.”
Animate Chesterfield is a public art programme which is creating new artworks and activities for visitors throughout the regeneration programmes happening in both Chesterfield and Staveley.
The programme is run by Chesterfield Borough Council, with funding secured through planning agreements, and delivered by Beam a leading cultural development organisation.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This was a great event that provides useful insights for young people who are trying to plan for their future. We support events like this across lots of different sectors, but this was the first time we’ve focussed on a creative field.
“We think it is important that young people hear directly from industry experts because it could help show them how they could achieve their dreams and work in a field they are passionate about. Thank you to everyone who took part and supported this event.”
To find out more about the programme visit our Animate Chesterfield page.
